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Julian Assange's extradition to US approved by UK government
- Thread starter Shard Shinjuku
- Start date
- News
I don't think this is precedent. As much as a pain in the ass it has been for the US to secure extradition of Julian Assange, I think it would be exponentially more painer in the asser to do the same for someone who didn't so stridently reveal themselves to be an asset to a hostile nation.
I don't have any concerns about a slippery slope here. Each high-profile extradition is treated independently, with Julian himself being a perfect example. It's worth noting that UK didn't agree to extradite until Russia really decided to fuck up the global order. It's impossible to say now, but they may have demurred even longer if there were had been no invasion in Ukraine.
It kinda is.
To assume that this will not set (another!) precedent is borderline naive at best. The US has a terrible history about it, as much as ERA gets a boner in hating on the dude and ignoring the wider context.
We already back at "Assange gave the world Trump", so there is little hope the discussion will be productive.
I think a lot of people here are missing that a proper journalist doesn't just dump raw data on their audience, they vet and provide critique of the facts, and importantly - they anonymize innocent, vulenrable people that could be harmed by being dragged into the spotlight. Wikileaks actually tried to operate like this initially, giving established journalistisc organizations access and letting them go through the material beforehand. But at some point Assange decided that this didn't suit his needs, so Wikileaks just started dumping everything unedited online. At that point they stopped being involved in "journalism".
Noted multiple-rapist and Russian asset who played a hand in destabilizing global politics is getting in trouble for among other things, doxxing hundreds of innocent people.
Happily.
Because if the only possible opposition to this (the left) is going to turn a blind eye for "reasons" (bitterness over Hillary, exclusively for Americans) is all it takes for the majority to just sit back and say "fuck this, I don't care about this asshole anyway", then WHO ELSE is that rule going to apply to?? Navalny? I love the very soft touch Era has given his sudden removal to some Russian hellhole in the back of nowhere, given the broader circumstances.
The only difference between Assange and someone like Chelsea Manning is Assange is associated with Wikileaks, an organization that has received far more scrutiny in the mainstream media than Manning or Snowden as individuals ever will and therefore is more at the forefront of people's minds, and the reason for that may have something to do with the impact the material they leaked actually has on public perception. Manning couldn't have dreamed of creating the sort of ripples in public discourse that the Iraq Apache Helicopter video created in a million years, regardless of the tangible importance of the material in question.
Face it, the reason Assange has so many enemies on the left is because of the 2016 election and nothing else, and that is a dangerous status quo that nefarious factions are waiting to pounce on at any given moment.
Your turn.
I guess Turkey doesn't exist in your world.
You guys would cheer a nuke dropping on New York if it embarrassed the US for 2 min.
Even worse they selectively withheld leaking republican material while gladly leaking DNC stuff
Disagree.
Assange is a special case and the particulars of his crimes, his full throated support of Putin and his attacks on LGBTQ people, women and other at risk folks and his unvetted dumping of info make him utterly distinct.
It's truly bizarre to watch people carry water for this monster but I guess I shouldn't be surprised at this point.
User Banned (1 month): trivializing sexual assault and the doxxing of LGBTQ+ individuals
If your contribution to this topic is to equate concern over an overstep in American jurisprudence with 'sympathy' for Assange then you are a drag on the human species. Trump? the rape charges? him being a russian asset? These things only matter insofar as they give idiots an excuse to look away and not care. Assange makes it easy to not care about him but the next person in his place will suffer because of how easily you all get played.
No, legit journalism would have analyzed and written articles based on the leaked documents, selectively quoting where necessary, but omitting details that would put people in direct and immediate danger.
Providing a dumping ground for leaked documents without doing any due diligence is not journalism, that is simply a distribution channel. People may still think a distribution channel like that serves a public good, but it's fundamentally not the same thing as a free press, so people should not conflate them.
Just to provide a point of comparison: A lot of people think Glen Greenwald is an asshole these days, but they will still acknowledge that what he did with the Snowden leaks was legitimate journalism. That's why all these "it's a slippery slope for journalism" and "you just don't like his politics" posts seem pretty weak. They only work if you willfully ignore all the specifics of Assange's case.
Assange is a rapist, and deserves to go to jail, but not for the reasons he's now being extradited. It's certainly possible to hate the man for who he is and simultaneously believe it's wrong for him to be extradited for the reasons he's being extradited.
Ship his ass back to Sweden and let them throw him in jail for rape; that would be justice. Unfortunately he managed to run out the statute of limitations on those charges by hiding in the Ecuadorian Embassy for more than a decade.
Ship his ass back to Sweden and let them throw him in jail for rape; that would be justice. Unfortunately he managed to run out the statute of limitations on those charges by hiding in the Ecuadorian Embassy for more than a decade.
Sure are fighting authoritarianism by cheering for the violent arm of the state to jail somebody for releasing government documents.
I'd imagine a lot of people on the left are also a bit peeved with him for the whole raping multiple women and then dodging justice by seeking political asylum while claiming he was only wanted for rape because "Sweden is the Saudi Arabia of feminism".
But I could be wrong.
Ow the edge.
The unvetted and selective dumping of documents. Boo fucking hoo.
Remember this gem?
WikiLeaks outs gay people in Saudi Arabia in 'reckless' mass data dump (pinknews.co.uk)
I've seen the left bend over backward to justify a literal imperialistic invasion because it pushed a little dirt on their pet target.
They've been downplaying literal massacres because there was no real way to push responsibilities on the US too.
Heck some even went and pushed the 9/11 as an inside job because it makes the US an even bigger baddie.
Mark my word, you will see that same section continue even if it's the most heinous of crimes.
Assange only looks like a journalist if you have no standard and accept even the worst blogger as a journalist.
You see Authoritarianism doesn't exist in the United States. When America pressure sovereign nations to hand over political prisoners, we are doing it for good reasons like prosecuting the man who published evidence on American war crimes.
Then why is he not being extradited on those charges? What makes the U.S so important that they are held in higher regard than Sweden?
He waited out the statute of limitations by hiding in the Ecuadorian Embassy for over 10 years, in which he sought asylum almost immediately after the UK declared that he should be extradited to Sweden to face multiple charges of rape.
I don't think he should be extradited to the US for the reasons he is, my only point is that the man provides plenty of reasons to despise him outside of what you're suggesting.
Does anyone think Assange is going to get a fair trial in America for publishing their war crimes?
A country that discussed having him kidnapped and/or assassinated. The defenses of this are ridiculous.
Prosecuting a person for publishing evidence of massacres is fucking sick and against what our country is supposed to stand for.
A country that discussed having him kidnapped and/or assassinated. The defenses of this are ridiculous.
Prosecuting a person for publishing evidence of massacres is fucking sick and against what our country is supposed to stand for.
User Banned (1 month): trivializing sexual assault, doxxing of LGBTQ+ individuals, and more
Then what are we even talking about?? The rest is absolute fluff.
In the country that doesn't even allow you to voice your displeasure at the highest court of the land?
Considering how the justice system is set up in the US, any justice is incidental and absolutely not by design.
Still better than a mug of polonium.
While I wouldn't say Era is or isn't that, left leaning people also won't care that this Russian stooge gets thrown the book after what side he decided to chose during the 2016 elections. For him it was better that we lived in a Trump/fascist society. No one on the left gonna tolerate that.
Let not forget what Julian Assange did to Seth Rich family .
Will Julian Assange and WikiLeaks Finally Tell the Truth About Seth Rich?
In a new set of court filings, lawyers for Rich's brother are battling to get a deposition with the imprisoned Assange.
www.rollingstone.com
Seth Rich's killing was exploited on Fox News and online. His parents are fed up
Seth Rich's killing brought incalculable loss to Joel and Mary Rich. Baseless conspiracy theories on Fox News made it even worse. They're speaking out for the first time since settling with Fox.
www.npr.org
Nope. I don't consider him a whistleblower or a journalist. He's absolute garbage. But he will absolutely not get a fair shake in the US courts.
Let not forget what Julian Assange did to Seth Rich family .
Will Julian Assange and WikiLeaks Finally Tell the Truth About Seth Rich?
In a new set of court filings, lawyers for Rich's brother are battling to get a deposition with the imprisoned Assange.Seth Rich's killing was exploited on Fox News and online. His parents are fed up
Seth Rich's killing brought incalculable loss to Joel and Mary Rich. Baseless conspiracy theories on Fox News made it even worse. They're speaking out for the first time since settling with Fox.
I'd honestly forgotten about this incredibly fucked up mess, but yes it would be nice if he finally faced the music on this as well.
Outing queer people in a country where that puts them in direct danger of execution: also "just fluff."
Yeah he's a piece of shit, how does that change the argument? No matter what bullshit this guy did, the reason the US is trying to jail him is unrelated to that. Ignoring the violence from the American state will do you no good, this isn't for justice but for retaliation. I'm sorry if having principles is edgy.
Right now you're basically cheering on the state apparatus that led to Chelsea Manning getting jailed. If she didn't get pardoned she would still have 23 years left on her sentence. Do you really think Assange is more dangerous than somebody like Tucker Carlson for example? I don't see how you can cheer for justice when he's getting grabbed on the wrong crimes that will be further used to punish activists, and the most dangerous American fascists get TV shows and brand deals while getting invited to the white house.
It amazes me how insanely authoritative the US state is, but manages to escape most criticisms. Literally reading a book right now going into the details of the FBI and US police assassinating Martin Luther King, the unjust arrests and executions of black panther members along with a bunch of other violence committed against activists and civil rights leaders and it's just never seen as an issue in America as much as it is in other parts of the world. We're one of the most authoritative states on Earth, and ignoring that because you have "rights" that are taken away at a moments notice is baffling. How can a state with the largest prison population, by both percentage of population AND numbers NOT be an authoritative state!
This means that he is going to be put in solitary confinement in American prisons and tortured. Is that what people here are arguing should happen to him? Like what was done to Chelsea Manning. What will be done to Snowden if they get their hand on him.
This place is not progressive in any sense of the word.
This place is not progressive in any sense of the word.
It's amazing, how many horrific things this man has done, to the point that it's hard to keep track of them.
You are the one who said "Face it, the reason Assange has so many enemies on the left is because of the 2016 election and nothing else" which according to you now seems like an absolute fluff comment. Seems notable that once someone listed some of his awful behaviors you attempted to shut down any discussion of his actions by trimming them all from the quoted post. If you think the discussion should be 100% limited to the validity of the charges against him then you shouldn't go out of your way to antagonize "the left" and directly ask why he wasn't extradited for his other crimes.
Exposure of the US's war crimes is a good thing. Assange is also an asset of a hostile nation that actively seeks to undermine democracy and replace it with a would-be authoritarian that's all too eager to please Assange's owner.
It's correct to say that the US isn't good. It's also correct to say that Assange did what he did for his own self gain. Both things can be true.
Dude waited out other claims for a decade in a foreign embassy. So, super sorry if after looking at the long, long list of Assange's crimes, the lives he's ruined and the damage he's done to queer people, women and democracy in general if I don't give a shit about how he's gotten. And if this this is the hill you want to die on for your "principles," knock yourself out.
And what is this weird canard of bringing Carlson into the discussion? Why the comparison? As vile as Carlson is and that he should probably have criminal conspiracy and hate crime charges brought against him, what does that have to do with any of this?
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Dumping stolen documents without regard to newsworthiness or any other factors isn't journalism. He is no more a journalist than the ransomware groups that do it. He and Wikileaks are both trash and have done a great deal of damage to US national interests. He would have had an easier time avoiding extradition if he hadn't gone on the run from his rape charges.
Then extradite him to Sweden to face those charges, then it won't be fluff will it?
How about you educate yourself on the reason why that didn't happen?
And what's your solution for the gay men he outed in Saudi Arabia. How do they get justice?
The beacon of progressivism really is excusing LGBT people being executed in middle eastern countries.